Alutiiq Word of the Week: NaRaciik (S) – Boat CaptainNaRiaciik (N); NaRaciik (S) – Boat Captain Kugyasigtaangama naRaciyutaallianga. – When I was fishing (seining), I used to be a captain. The Alutiiq word for boat captain, naRiaciikor naRaciik, comes from Russian. It includes a small capital R to indicate an “r“ sound, as in the English word run. While this sound is common in English and Russian words, it is absent in Alutiiq. Despite the recent origins of the word...

Alutiiq word of the week: Cukiq – Thorn; SliverCkiq – Thorn; Sliver Allrani aigaqa cukirtaartuq. – Sometimes I get a sliver on my hand. The Alutiiq word for thorn, cukiq, can be used to mean sliver, thorn, barb, quill, or even spruce needle, and the word for the prickly devil’s club, cukilanarpak, means “plant with big thorns.” When northern European peoples immigrated to Kodiak in the late 1800s, it is likely they introduced a unique woodworking style known a...

Alutiiq Word of the Week Lesson 16:47 Itgaq (Literally, “foot”) – Flipper Gui wiinam itgai pingaktaanka. – I always like the sea lion’s feet. Sea mammals propel themselves through Alaska’s coastal waters with strong, sleek flippers. Flippers not only help animals swim, they can be important tools for exiting the water and moving on land. Seal and sea lion flippers, for example, have a tough rubbery surface that keeps the animal from sliding on slipper...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: MiskiiRaq; MiskiiRiat – SpiderMiskiiRaq; MiskiiRiat – Spider Ugnerkami miskiiRiat amleritaartut. – In the spring there are many spiders. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) There at least 350 species of spiders in Alaska, belonging to seventeen families. Spiders are not insects. They are close relatives of ticks and mites and belong to a group called arachnids. Insects have three body parts, six legs, and a pair of antennae. In contr...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: May 2Culu’ulluku; Culurt’slluku – Beach It PaRag’uutateng culurtaarait. – Sometimes they beach their boat. Most fishermen who know Alutiiq words are familiar with culu’ulluku, a term that means to beach your boat. Whether intentional or accidental, beaching is an age-old way of reaching the shore. In classical Alutiiq society, paddlers who wished to bring their skin-covered qayat or angyat to land would select an appro...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: April 25PRiis’tanaq – Dock PaRaguutat pRiistananun taitaartut. – The boats come to the dock. In Alutiiq communities, where boats are essential for travel, subsistence activities, and work at sea, docks are a necessity. Although Alutiiqs once landed their skin-covered boats on the beach and stored them around their houses, docking facilities are now a common part of rural communities. For example, in Larsen Bay, residents ...

Ruuwarluni – Arrow Game (verb) Ruuwarluni – Arrow Game (verb) Tamamta ruuwartaallriakut Paaskaami. – We used to all play bow and arrow at Easter time. In the Alutiiq language, the word for “arrow”—ruuwaq—has a variety of meanings. It can be used as a noun to refer to the wooden-shafted, feather-fletched projectiles fired from hunters’ bows. Alternatively, this word can be used as a verb to mean the action of shooting with a bow. For example, t...

Camani – Lower 48 statesCamani – Lower 48 states Camani ilangq’rtuanga. – I have family in the Lower 48. When Alutiiqs speakers talk about the continental United States they use the word camani, which literally means “down there.” In Alaska, the English equivalent is “the Lower 48.” Despite the separation between Alaska and regions south that camani implies, anthropologists believe that Alaska was the major gateway to the Americas, the r...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: Pausinkaaq – IconPausinkaaq (N); Puusinkaaq (S);Agayuwim PatReitaa (N); Agayuwim PatRiitaa (S) – Icon Agayuwigmi pausinkaaq amlertaartut. – There are many icons in the church. An icon is a religious image. It may be a painting, a carving, or a statue that depicts a spiritually important figure such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, saints, or angels. The veneration of icons is a central part of Russian Orthodox worship. Each image is th...

Alutiiq Word of the Week: PaulaqPaulaq; Peluq – Ash Paulartuu'uq plit'aami. – There are lots of ashes in the stove. The Alutiiq word for ash — paulaq orpeluq — usually refers to wood ash. This is the fine, grey sediment found in the bottom of a fire pit or a wood burning stove after a hot fire. Cleaning the wood ash out of the household stove was a common task in decades past, before Alutiiq families adopted oil burning and electric stoves. Wood...